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Hi Joe. Welcome to AS. Your pic doesn't look to promising will all the dead branches. Sorry for the bad news. One of the experts may be along shortly with a different diagnosis.
It's toast.
The ground around the base looks questionable - is that a driveway to the right? If so, when was it added? The boulder didn't help either, has it always been there?
The rocks have been there for years and your eyes are not mistaken about the driveway. The driveway has likely been there as long as the tree and it is also not a hard to. It’s a “lock rock” that is loose in the warmer months and “locks” during the winter. The only thing that has changed recently (last summer) is a sidewalk that was installed between the road and the tree. When having been excavated for install, there didn’t appear to be any disturbance with the roots, but now I suppose water supply has been stifled since. Thank you for the responses all!
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Oak wilt or Gypsy moths in your area?
None that I know of. I’m most suspect of the sidewalk put in last year.
Looks like a water oak. Don't let the size make you think it's that old. Water oaks can grow very fast. I have 20 year old water oaks that are twice that big. It does look like toast though. Time to remove it and start over with a sapling.
I am quite certain it is a white oak, and I’ve never measured, but I’d bet with some certainty that this tree’s trunk has a circumference approaching 11-12’. I know the previous owners of the home back to the 40’s and the gentleman who was in high school then remembers the tree already having been there. So at least 70 year old tree. I am sad to hear all of the condemnation of this tree, any recommendations on offsetting the cost of removal? I’ve heard of folks selling their valuable trees to lumber mills, but don’t know anything beyond the speculative possibility.
Most all mills will not buy residential trees. There is likely some metal in it and the cost of down time to repair or replace a band on the mill exceeds the worth of the tree. That tree specifically does not appear like it would grade well either. Also at this moment in time price of oak is down. You may have some luck trying to sell the truck locally on facebook or craigslist to someone who has a hobby mill. Best of luck.
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